Yeah .. that is pretty much what I liked about having both the Wotofo and Robbot, a clone of each authentic ZNA style ..
Sylvia Robbot asked me last night what I thought about Robbot Tech upgrading their chip to the 50W .. I told her that I thought 50W wasn't a good idea for 18490, but if they could also come up with a 18650 version with main body to match the tube size, then it might be a go.
Thoughts?
I also suggested that Robbot make some colored tubes available for it as well, Sylvia said they could do that easy. I suggested black, blue, and rose gold .. Better yet, I think they should upgrade to 50W on 18650 only, with body size to match and release it only with the colored tubes
Nicole,
Whether or not the 50-watt version can be used at full power with an 18490 ultimately depends on the board's specs, the battery used, and the build. For instance, the Evolv DNA-30 has an amperage limit of 10 amps, while the new DNA-40 has a 16-amp limit; furthermore, the Evolv boards monitor the battery's health and will not allow you to draw too much current from them. With the DNA-40's new "soft limiting," trying to pull 16 amps from a 10-amp battery or a weak cell will still result in the device firing, but at a reduced/"safe" wattage.
With that in mind, the AW 18490 IMR is rated for 16.5 amps, as are a couple of other cells. The purple eFest is supposedly rated for 15 amps, although I don't know that I'd bet on it. Depending on what build you're using, you could safely fire 50 watts with no issue whatsoever. For instance, 50 watts into a 1.5-ohm load will require 8.66 volts and draw only 5.77 amps.
Thinking about it, a 0.2-ohm load at 50 watts requires 3.16 volts and will draw 15.81 amps ... so yeah, that's pushing it, but still technically within bounds for the AW 18490.
One must pay attention to a device's specifications, rather than the big letters on the box. A 50-watt device might very well fire at a legitimate 50 watts, but only within certain parameters. If the load you're using requires 10 volts and the board can only produce 9, you're not going to get the full 50; similarly, if you're using a sub-ohm coil that needs to draw 12 amps to reach 50, but the board has a 10-amp limit, you're not going to get that full 50 watts.
Unfortunately, not everyone understands ohm's law, nor can everyone differentiate between a good IMR and a flimsy lithium cell. Even the ones that are "protected" are not safe to use in high-drain applications; however, I'd like to think that the chipset would offer some degree of protection.
Basically, I'd say that as long as the board has no higher than a 15- or 16-amp limit, there should be no issue ... as long as a properly-rated cell is used, of course (such as the AW 18490). The 50-watt version comes with both tubes, by the way (18490/18650). And naturally, the consumer must ultimately accept a certain amount of risk & responsibility when using these devices. There are plenty of mechanical mods on the market that can house an 18490 and even an 18350 battery. Put a 0.2-ohm topper on that and you're going to have problems, if the heat in the body and the switch doesn't tip you off first.
Anyway ... I got my Robbot Tech ZNA and I must say that I'm very pleased with it. I haven't fiddled with it too much, but I've been using it with a Nautilus Mini and an AW 18490 at 13 watts with good results. The tank sits flush, the buttons all work, the chipset behaves just like a genuine Evolv DNA, etc. It was worth the $97 and I'd recommend it. Your review and everything in this thread (as well as a handful of YouTube videos) was very helpful indeed, so I thank you.
--Ed
